Perceived Influence of Internet Use on Health Information Seeking Behaviour among University Students in Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria

Abstract

Internet use has become an important source of health information for undergraduates, improving health awareness and encouraging proactive health seeking behaviour. However, the extent to which it influences undergraduates’ health-seeking behavior remains unclear. This study determined perceived influence of internet use on health information seeking behaviour among undergraduate students in Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria. Five objectives with five corresponding research questions guided the study. A descriptive survey design was utilized. The study population consisted of 13,067 degree undergraduate from federal institutions in Owerri, Imo State. Stratified random sampling procedure was used to select entire 300 undergraduate students as the sample size. The self-structured questionnaire was utilized for data collection. Data were analysed using frequency and percentage to answer the research questions. The results revealed that slightly more than half (53.7%) of university students perceived internet use as having an influence on their health information-seeking behaviour. Above half of the university students perceived internet use as influencing their preventive health information-seeking behaviour, while a similar proportion perceived an influence on curative health information-seeking behaviour. Likewise, above half of university students perceived internet use as influencing their health-related risk-avoidance behaviour. The authors therefore recommended that university authorities should organize awareness campaigns through various media platforms and incorporate educational courses on appropriate health-seeking behaviour, Educating students about the proper use of online health information and the potential consequences of excessive or inappropriate internet health-seeking behavior can help reduce the prevalence of self-directed internet health information seeking among undergraduate students. The study further recommend that University communities should provide free access to reliable health information portals and collaborate with credible online health platforms to direct students to accurate and verified health information